Online presence equals international presence.<\/strong><\/p>\n Today we got our first international Small Business Handbook order and instead of instantly feeling excited, we panicked. Why you may ask? We didn\u2019t think the publicity would go international. Which is not strategic thinking, because we live in a global world. We\u2019re excited now though.<\/p>\n Lesson Two<\/strong><\/p>\n You already have informal business partners; it\u2019s just about how you view the relationship.<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019m an advocate of business partners, although I don\u2019t have one as yet. The reality is, finding the right partner is tough. I\u2019ve been on the lookout, but haven\u2019t found someone who really compliments my skills. During this \u201clook out\u201d phase, I\u2019ve come to realise that a partner doesn\u2019t have to be an official business shareholder. Just by considering my team of suppliers, clients and stakeholders as partners I get partnership value. So I guess I do have a few partners in my business.<\/p>\n Lesson Three <\/strong><\/p>\n Or<\/strong><\/p>\n Be patient, work hard, focus\u2026 It takes time.<\/strong><\/p>\n I was recently introduced to a young, very successful entrepreneur. He\u2019s about 35 years old, judging from when he started university. He\u2019s a serial entrepreneur and has done fantastically well. I asked him what he does and his answer was very interesting. But what reallycaught my attention was this – he started business 17 years ago! Yup! 17 years ago! As much as we\u2019d love to be successful tomorrow, chatting to this guy reminded me that business is a journey.<\/p>\n Lesson Four<\/strong><\/p>\n When you\u2019re not being valued by a client, try to make them realise it. If that\u2019s not successful, devise an exit strategy.<\/strong><\/p>\n I have a client with whom I believe I have a one-sided value based relationship. . I only want to work with those whom I share mutual values. Where we value each other! I think it\u2019s time for me to rethink this relationship.<\/p>\n Lesson\u00a0Five<\/strong><\/p>\n People will mess up, rather than getting upset, take control and be solution driven.<\/strong><\/p>\n I had an incident where I relied on a third party to deliver on part of a project. They were unable to deliver to the expected level expected despite us sticking to the follow-up and feedback procedures.<\/p>\n I was a justifiably irritated that after weeks of planning, they still weren\u2019t able to meet the agreed expectations. I found myself getting more and more upset but I stopped myself, took a break and thought, \u201cHow can I fix this?\u201d I had two hours to turn it around. And I did. The 2.0 version we delivered made quite an impact.<\/p>\n Lesson\u00a0Six<\/strong><\/p>\n Find a mentor to help you define your journey.<\/strong><\/p>\n I had the opportunity to meet Johanna Mukoki, a successful South African Entrepreneur at an intimate networking event. I chatted with her and told her what I did. She asked me one question, \u201cWho is providing you with the support A few months later I changed this and found a coach who is now pushing my boundaries; helping me become more assertive and confident in my business and assisting me to define my personal and business journey.<\/p>\n Nokwazi Mzobe, Founder of Matoyana<\/p>\n![\"The](\"http:\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Nokwazi-Mzobe.jpg\")
<\/a>you are giving others?\u201d My answer was, \u201cNo one.\u201d<\/p>\n